Righteous Babe Records was originally called Righteous Records; however, DiFranco then discovered a gospel music label already had that name, and to differentiate her company, added the "Babe". Located in DiFranco's hometown of
Buffalo, New York, the business grew organically, starting in 1990 with her first
cassette tape. DiFranco sold the tapes out of the back of her car and at shows on tour, then sold them on consignment in local stores. Teaming up with her longtime business partner Scot Fisher, they were able to self-distribute her albums directly to over 100 indie accounts. DiFranco cites her anti-corporate ethos for the
DIY ethics at Righteous Babe and not wanting to buy into the
major label system. Having a large women's music following she was able to make connections at Zango and Goldenrod, two music distributors specializing in women's music who started selling her albums to women's book stores and other small music shops. After the independent success of her sixth album
Out of Range, Righteous Babe Records signed a distribution deal with independent distributor
Koch International (later
eOne) for DiFranco's highly anticipated
Not a Pretty Girl release in 1995. Her records could then be found in large and small record stores alike and the Righteous Babe staff quickly grew to fourteen people. DiFranco and Fisher stress the importance of
community to their business such as working with local printers whenever possible, hiring friends and like minded people. Righteous Babe expanded in the late 1990s to release albums for non-mainstream artists and in 2001 Righteous Babe opened a European office called Righteous Babe LTD.
Alternative Press described the label's focus as "the freedom of being able to create for oneself" and the roster as "a lineup of artists who are uniquely themselves." ==Babeville==